Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Write Songs on Piano Instaed of Guitar

For a change of pace try to compose songs on the piano instead of your guitar. Here's an interesting that explains how Springsteen took his songwriting to another level.

What Bruce Springsteen Taught Me About Writing

By: Sophfronia Scott

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of BruceSpringsteen's groundbreaking album Born to Run. Columbia Recordsis celebrating by re-releasing the disc with lots of audio andvideo goodies including interview material of Bruce discussingthe writing of this seminal work. I'm a fan, so you can imagineI've been gobbling up this stuff like Thanksgiving came early!What's hitting home for me is hearing about how Springsteen'sback was really up against the wall while he was creating thisalbum. His record label was considering dropping him so he knewhe had to make something happen. When people ask me "how do Iknow if my work is good enough?", I think of Springsteen becausesurely he wasn't asking that when he was trying to figure outwhat to write. The answer could have been "it's not" if he hadasked someone at his record company. He had to work and learnfor himself how to tell if his work was good enough. This iswhat I learned from how he did it.

1.) Learn From the Great Ones

In the summer of 1974 Springsteen could have been lamenting thefact that his first two albums had not been successful and hewas living in a tiny house in New Jersey while the country wasin the throes of a severe economic depression. But he wasn't. Hewas focused on his songwriting. "I had a record player by theside of my bed," he wrote in his book, Songs. "At night I'd lieback and listen to records by Roy Orbison, the Ronettes, theBeach Boys, and the other great '60s artists. These were recordswhose full depth I'd missed the first time around. But now I wasappreciating their craft and power." Notice he wasn't saying"There's no way I can create songs like that!" Instead he wasconsidering "what can I add to the conversation?" He was gettinginspired and educated at the same time.

2.) Aspire to Be Great Yourself

In an interview about Born to Run, Springsteen says he knew hisrecord company was about to drop him. He added, "I knew I had towrite something great." Springsteen didn't have to writesomething great. He could have folded up his tent and said,"they don't like me, I'm just gonna stay in Asbury Park and playwhere people appreciate me and that's it." But he didn't dothat. He also didn't ask whether he was good enough. He simplychallenged himself to go beyond himself--to be great. Askyourself: what are you writing right now and is it challengingyou to be great? What would it take for you to start thinkingthis way?

3.) Find Trusted Ears for Feedback

Yes, it is hard to know on your own whether you're on track withyour writing. That's when you recruit your own inner circle ofreaders whose ears and eyes you trust. Jon Landau became one ofthose trusted pairs of ears for Springsteen. They became friendsduring the writing of Born to Run and Bruce often sent Jon, thena Boston music critic, tapes of the work as it progressed. Whenthe work stalled, Landau was the one who came in and helpedBruce put it all together. Who can be those ears or eyes foryou? Try to keep the inner circle small. If you have too manyopinions showered on your work it may cloud your creativejudgment.

4.) Try Something Different

Most of the songs on Born to Run were written on piano--thisfrom a guy known for his raucous Fender guitar. But writing onpiano gave Springsteen new ideas and presented new opportunitiesfor him to explore. It also gave the album an amazinglyemotional and intimate vibe that I find intoxicating. What canyou do differently that can inspire a leap to your next level?Set your novel in 1905 instead of 2005? Write from the point ofview of the opposite sex? Be a little creative with yournon-fiction? Take a chance. No effort is ever wasted even ifyou're writing badly--you can still learn from what you've donewrong.

5.) Think Local, Write Global

One of the changes Springsteen made with Born to Run was thatthe characters in his songs were "less eccentric and less local"than the ones on his previous albums. The people in Born to Run"could have been anybody and everybody," he says. "When thescreen door slams on 'Thunder Road', you're not necessarily onthe Jersey Shore anymore. You could be anywhere in America." Andit's true. Millions of people connected with--and bought-- Bornto Run. I sought the same kind of connection for my novel.Though the family in All I Need to Get By is African-American,I've had readers of all races tell me how they have seenthemselves in one or more of the characters and how they relatedstrongly to the book's family issues. Touching people in thisway is key to developing an attentive audience. How can you openup your work to a larger audience while still being true to yourstory?

If you still have doubts, think of this quote from Ralph WaldoEmerson: "Whatever course you decide upon, there is alwayssomeone to tell you that you are wrong. There are alwaysdifficulties arising which tempt you to believe that yourcritics are right. To map out a course of action and follow itto an end requires...courage." Be courageous for yourself andyour writing. Your own Born to Run may be waiting to come out.

About the author:Author and Writing Coach Sophfronia Scott is "The Book Sistah"TM. Get her FREE REPORT, "The 5 Big Mistakes Most Writers MakeWhen Trying to Get Published" and her FREE online writing andpublishing tips at http://www.TheBookSistah.com The Book Sistah,230 South Main St. Ste. 319, Newtown, CT 06470 203-426-2036,Info@TheBookSistah.com